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Getting your yearly physical, where you can get covered preventive care and screenings, helps you be your healthiest. It’s important that you not only know what’s recommended for your age and what you need to stay up to date, but also that you get to the doctor for this each year!

What Happens at Your Physical

Each year, you should schedule a physical with your doctor to focus on your health and wellness. At the appointment, you can:

Keep track of your health habits and history

Get a physical exam

Stay up-to-date with preventive care

Get education and counseling and set health goals

Health Habits & History

One of the first things that happens at your annual appointment is a nurse or your doctor will ask you to answer some questions about your health and family history, including questions about:

Your medical history

Your family history

Your sexual health and partners

Your eating and exercise habits

Your use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs

Your mental health history, including depression

Your relationships and safety

This info can help you in the future. From getting diagnosed to being protected and helping you in an emergency, this information can help save your life.

Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Screenings

Hepatitis B screening – For people at high risk, including people from countries with 2% or more Hepatitis B prevalence, and American-born people not vaccinated as infants and with at least one parent born in a region with 8% or more Hepatitis B prevalence

Hepatitis C screening – For adults at increased risk and once for everyone born from 1945 to 1965

HIV screening – For everyone ages 15 to 65 and other ages at increased risk

Syphilis screening – For adults at higher risk

Women also have some additional covered screenings and benefits. Get more details about this specific preventive care while learning about your well-woman visits.
And learn more about what preventive care the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends you get and when.

Education, Counseling & Health Goals

Your doctor can help you manage your conditions or diseases and prevent future problems by talking to you about your life and health each year.
Your doctor might have valuable handouts, websites, advice, and information to help you take care of yourself or might want to refer you to a specialist who can help you further.
Your doctor is also the perfect person to help you set goals to maintain or improve your health. From quitting smoking and knowing how to self-check for cancer to changing your diet and exercise for your weight, cholesterol, or blood pressure, your doctor can help you plan to be your healthiest.

Prepare for Your Visit

Preparing yourself with questions to ask and answers to your doctor’s questions can help you make the most of your visit.

Know Your Family History

Your family’s history of health and wellness is an important part of your own health record. Histories of illness and disease can help doctors look out for issues that run in families and more.
This family health history tool can help you track your family’s health, so that you’re always organized to talk to your doctor. Not sure about your family history? Filling this out is the perfect time to talk to family members for firsthand details.

Talk to Your Doctor

Prepare for your appointment by knowing any questions or issues you want to talk about ahead of time. Some things you might want to ask:

What immunizations or shots you need

Your diet and eating healthy food

Advice for exercise and getting active

Mental health concerns, like depression and anxiety

Specific issues you might be having, like sore joints, back pain, migraines, and more